On The Trail With Mark

Alex reels in a his first catch (see below)

Alex and I went fishing  today at one of  our favorite sites along Bull Run.   Lyme disease and Erlichiosis took a lot out of me this summer so it was good to get out and goof around again along the river.  Alex caught two catfish the size of the one I am holding.

What a lucky day today. Finding a tree climbing black rat snake was one thing finding another consuming a meadow vole was an added bonus on this field trip. Below is a condensed sequence of the event. Note I was able to hold the snake while it was gulping its prey down.

While doing programs at Walney you never know what you might encounter.  Today’s program  focus was about  northern water snakes but when this adult black rat snake presented itself clinging to a tree I couldn’t resist the temptation of showing one of its unique adaptations as a climber.  The snake was surprisingly docile and allowed me to keep it confined to the the trunk during this teachable moment.

22″Large Mouth Bass caught by Alex Buckley. Fish was released ( as with all fish we catch) unharmed soon after these photos were taken